Reuters World News Summary

"We are deeply alarmed about democratic backsliding in Georgia," U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan wrote on X. Russia takes five villages in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, defence ministry says Russia said on Saturday that its forces had taken five border villages in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, where Russia launched an offensive on Friday, exploiting its increasing advantage on the battlefields of eastern Ukraine.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Afghanistan floods kill at least 153, Taliban interior ministry says

The official death toll from devastating flash floods in northern Afghanistan has risen to 153 people across three provinces, the Taliban's interior ministry said on Saturday, while the World Food Progamme said it was double that. The WFP, which operates throughout Afghanistan, said on X that floods had killed more than 300 people. It did not give a source for its figure.

Russian attack forces frustrated, hungry residents from Ukraine border town

Residents of a Ukrainian border town, frustrated and angry at an armoured ground attack by Russian troops trying to secure a new foothold, were evacuated from their homes on Friday with an uncertain future ahead. Officials brought together dozens of inhabitants of Vovchansk and surrounding villages during breaks in the fighting and took them to an undisclosed location where they awaited buses to take them to safe locations.

Name and shame: Pro-Israel website ramps up attacks on pro-Palestinian student protesters

Weeks after attending a pro-Palestinian demonstration, Egyptian-American student Layla Sayed received a text message from a friend drawing her attention to a website dedicated to exposing people it says promote hatred of Jews and Israel. "I think they found you from the protest," the friend wrote.

India poll watchdog's inaction lets PM Modi commit 'brazen' violations, opposition says

India's opposition said the nation's election commission was allowing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to continue "unchecked and brazen" violations by not taking action on opposition complaints of religious hate speech and misrepresentation. More than halfway through India's six-week national elections, the world's biggest, the Congress party-led opposition complained in a letter to the Election Commission of India on Friday that "no meaningful action has been taken to penalize those who are guilty in the ruling regime".

U.S. deeply alarmed by Georgia's foreign agent bill, Sullivan says

The United States said on Saturday it was deeply alarmed by democratic backsliding in Georgia which Washington said had a choice to support either a "Kremlin-style" foreign agent bill or the people's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. "We are deeply alarmed about democratic backsliding in Georgia," U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan wrote on X.

Russia takes five villages in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, defence ministry says

Russia said on Saturday that its forces had taken five border villages in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, where Russia launched an offensive on Friday, exploiting its increasing advantage on the battlefields of eastern Ukraine. In its briefing on Saturday, the Defence Ministry said that Russian forces had taken the villages of Pletenivka, Ohirtseve, Borysivka, Pylna and Strilechna, all of which are directly on the Russian border.

Philippines sends ships to disputed atoll where China building 'artificial island'

The Philippines said on Saturday it has deployed ships to a disputed area in the South China Sea, where it accused China of building "an artificial island" in an escalating maritime row. The coast guard sent a ship "to monitor the supposed illegal activities of China, creating 'an artificial island'," the office of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said in a statement, adding two other vessels were in rotational deployment in the area.

Peru authorities investigate president as brother arrested

Peruvian authorities said on Friday that they had launched an investigation into President Dina Boluarte for disbanding a special police force that had been investigating her brother, who was detained earlier in the day. Nicanor Boluarte and the president's lawyer were arrested as part of a probe into alleged influence peddling, ramping up pressure on the Andean country's leader, who is already being investigated over how she got pricey Rolex watches and jewelry.

Israel orders Palestinians to evacuate from more areas of Gaza's Rafah

Israel called on Saturday for Palestinians in more areas of Gaza's southern city of Rafah to evacuate and head to what it calls an expanded humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi, in a further indication that the military is pressing ahead with its plans for a ground attack on Rafah. In a post on social media site X, a military spokesperson also called on residents and displaced people in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza, and 11 other neighbourhoods in the enclave to go immediately to places west of Gaza City.

Dutch contestant expelled as Eurovision braces for protests

Dutch contestant Joost Klein has been expelled from Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest final after a complaint by a member of the production crew, organisers said, adding to the headaches for host Sweden as it also grapples with anti-Israel protests. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) had said on Friday it was investigating an "incident" involving Klein, 26, whose quirky song "Europapa" had made him one of the favourites.